If you've had to brave the dating scene lately, first of all, I am SO sorry. Second, you've probably had to develop a sort of spidey sense to figure out if your date is MAGA.
Even so, it can be hard to know for sure. Would it be easier to blurt out "WHERE WERE YOU ON JAN. 6?!?!?!?!?!" when the bread comes out? Yeah, probably! Not everyone wants to do that, though!
So we recently asked you, our BuzzFeed Community, to share some of the ways you can tell that your date may be a Republican. Here are your best tips, along with some help from this r/AskALiberal Reddit thread:
1. "Any picture with a dead animal, calling themselves 'blue collar,' insisting on including photos of their pickup truck with a god awful lift kit."
—Anonymous, 25, female, Democrat, Virginia
2. "Scruffy beards!"
3. "If you don't see any books in their house, head for the hills."
—Anonymous, 62, Independent, San Francisco
4. "Telling a story and mentioning someone's race when it's not relevant."
5. "If he says he's 'moderate' or 'apolitical.'"
6. "There is a very specific type of sunglasses that only Republican men wear. They're very reflective and sort of curve with your face. The minute I see a picture in a dating app with those...it's a no for me, dawg."
—Anonymous, 34, Democrat, Los Angeles, CA
7. "They only believe women are good for one thing."
8. "They constantly fear monger about crime in large cities they don't live in. Complains about taxes often."
9. "If I see a girl posing with a flag or firearm, that's a nope."
—Anonymous
10. "If they have a gun fetish, and feel that it's important for everyone to know about it. Plenty of folks on the left are gun owners, but they generally don't flaunt their guns in the same way conservatives do."
11. "Giant pickup truck driving aggressively on the highway."
12. "If he's into Kid Rock, Nicki Minaj, or has Diet Coke on tap in his home."
—Anonymous
13. "People who REFUSE to visit any other part of the world."
14. "An easy tell is how insecure they are. Do they want you to text them back all the time? Do they get mad at you if you don't? Do they accuse you of cheating on them if you happen to text with another man?"
15. "Ask their opinion on tattoos (particularly on women) or colored hair. It will be very revealing how they answer."
—Anonymous
16. "Just ask them if they think things are going well in the US right now."
17. "Mar-a-Lago face."
18. "Treatment of wait staff."
19. "Any political comment freely given that was not part of your conversation."
—Anonymous, 62, female, Independent, Arizona
20. "Claiming to be: a patriot, Christian, traditional, or alpha."
—Anonymous, 45, female, Democrat, Minnesota
21. "Bleach blondes with roots showing and uneven MAGA makeup, plus trucker hats and anything camo being worn by a woman is an immediate walk away."
—Anonymous, 55, Male, Democrat, Northern California
22. "Lack of empathy."
23. "If someone says, 'I don't pay attention to politics.'"
—Anonymous, 31, Male, Democratic Socialist, New York, NY
24. "Ask, 'Would you rather watch Fox News or MSNBC?'"
—Anonymous
25. "When it's obvious they have a huge chip on their shoulder. Like, overreact to anyone trying to teach them something. I used to work with people like this, and overwhelmingly, they act like sullen children."
26. "They own and use a My Pillow."
—Anonymous, 66, F, Dem, Delaware
27. "If they wear or display an American flag, you must tread very carefully."
—Anonymous, 39, female, Liberal, Indiana
28. "Love Elon Musk."
—Anonymous
29. "If they say 'woke' a lot, that's usually a red flag."
—Anonymous, 51, female, Midwest.
30. "Which Super Bowl halftime show are they watching?"
—Anonymous, 70 female, Democrat, Bend, Oregon
31. "Bass Pro Shop hats, any shirt that has crossed rifles on the sleeve, unkempt beards, cheap wraparound sunglasses, 'We the People' stickers or ink, Crypto enthusiasm, Harvest Festival bumper stickers, they watch Gutfeld, and think it's funny."
—Anonymous, 47, Democrat, California
32. "I ask what book they've read last. I've found that most MAGA guys don't read. I even had one guy tell me he 'doesn't believe in books.'"
—Anonymous, 39, female, Progressive, Oregon
33. "Cargo shorts. Not pants, just the shorts."
34. "Immediately asking you your opinions on vaccines on the first date...no, thank you. They're definitely a MAGA supporter."
—Anonymous, 30, female, Democrat, Texas
35. "If they're iffy about even getting tested for STDs."
—Anonymous, 23, male, leftist, California
36. "They are quick to make fun of their friends."
"I just noticed this while hanging out with my significant other's parent and friends. S.O.'s family is liberal, but some of the friends were not, and they kept making fun of S.O.'s parent over a sport they all get together to play because S.O.'s parent was not as advanced in it. Maybe it was all fun and games among friends, but it was also that kind of bully stuff people just don't grow out of. It was super off-putting. It's like a smug pride that weighs like a blanket."
37. "I ask what they thought of the movie, The Sound of Freedom. If they haven't seen it, it's reassuring. If they tell me that it's based on nonsense and is men cosplaying as law enforcement, I know I'm good to go. If they wax positive about it, I know they've swallowed the red pill."
—Anonymous, 45
38. "If he identifies as a moderate, don't believe him. He's trying to play both sides."
—Anonymous, Age 54, female, Independent, West Michigan
39. "Concerned about what is being taught in schools. Does not actually know what is being taught in schools."
40. "Saying something awful and following it up with, 'I was just joking,' is a way to test the waters. Don't put up with it."
—Anonymous, 30s, Florida
And, finally:
41. "References The Joe Rogan Experience at any point in a conversation."
If there's a MAGA red flag we didn't mention that you're DYINGGGG to share with the people, let us know in the comments, or you can share anonymously using this form.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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